Switching custodial parents? (complicated)

Paying for College
1

<p>Hello,</p>

<p>I have a weird family situation and I need some advice on how to handle it, if this were to happen. I'm a sophomore in college, and last year I filled out the FAFSA using someone at my college. The financial advisor I spoke to at my college (I am transferring this year in case this has any bearing) told me that, because my parents were still legally married I should file my fafsa with both of my parents. While my parents are legally married, they are separated and have been for many years, living in separate homes. For religious reasons, they will never become legally separated or divorced, however my mother has lived with my grandparents for my entire life, and I have lived with them. My father has lived in the next town, and I've had contact with him. My mom supported myself, herself, as well as helped my grandparents all throughout high school, and she makes around $30k a year, while my father supports himself and his home, contributing less than half my support, he makes $45k a year. I mention this because by filing together, it made it look like i have $75k of financial support, which I do not.</p>

<p>To make my moms situation easier, this past school year while in college I agreed to live with my father and have him take on the brunt (as in, over 50%) of financial support. Since finding out that I can, and should, only put down my father's info in the FAFSA, I've put down only his info for this coming year, and decidedly saw a large drop in my EFC, which put me in line to get verified by my current (original) college. The college I plan to transfer to hasn't asked for verification, possibly because it's the first year they're getting my fafsa. </p>

<p>Now here comes the more difficult part: my father's mother has recently become rather ill and requires his constant assistance/support. Should this demand on his time and money become a permanent thing, my father is considering having me move back with my mother since she now has one less grandparent (sadly he passed away a few months ago) to support and I will be home a lot less.</p>

<p>I know for this coming year I did the right thing by filing the FAFSA with my dads info, but for next year should I only put in my mothers info? As you can imagine, since she makes less than my father, I did a rough estimate and my EFC will drop again. This would be the third time that I've changed my parents info, and I'm concerned I wont get any money at all because they'll think I'm trying to cheat the system. Will there be a big issue with all this changing come next year? If it matters, it will only be the 2nd time my transfer college has seen my fafsa at all. I have proof of my parents living arrangements, and I graduated from the town my mom lives in so I'm not worried they'll check, I'm just worried the financial aid office won't give me anything because of all the switching.</p>

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<p>The financial adviser gave you wrong information.</p>

<p>If your parents are separated (although not legally) you only have to provide the income and assets of the parent that you live with on the FAFSA. At that time, if you were living with your mother, it should have only been her income.</p>

<p>You should only put your mother’s information if she is the custodial parent and you live with her 51% of the time. </p>

<p>If you live with both of your parents equally, then you must put down the parent whom you get the most support (dad). IF your dad is supporting his ailing parent, get the documentation together, turn it in to the financial aid office and ask for a professional judgement.</p>

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<p>Sybbie has the info that you need. The custodial parent for FAFSA purposes is the parent with whom you live the most. If you live with the equally, you are supposed to put down the parent who gives the most support and if it is a true tie, the one with the most. It behooves you to spend a bit more time with the parent that gives you the lowest EFC. </p>

<p>How do your parents file their taxes? The process is tying in more closely with tax returns and the info is being scruntinized for just about everyone now days, so being selected for verification is becoming the norm. If they are not filing as separated, that could be a problem. Do gather evidence that they are indeed living in separate residences, so that you can offer it up if necessary.</p>

<p>I don’t think it is much of an issue to change from one custodial parent to another. I know a number of kids who have done that when a parent become unemployed or other event occurs that make it far more favorable to make the change. Nothing wrong with setting things up so that you get more aid unless you are misstating the situation. Changing the situation is allowed. Lying about it is not.</p>